Medical Considerations Number 5

Fanfiction
Title:	Medical Considerations #5 - Into The Fire
Author(s):	OzKaren
Date(s):
Length:	62K
Genre(s):	gen
Fandom(s):	Stargate SG-1
Relationship(s):
External Links:	At Stargatefan.com (HTML, archived 2009) At TPOOL (Text file)
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Medical Considerations #5 is a Stargate SG-1 story by OzKaren, part of her Medical Considerations series.

Reactions and Reviews

The thing I find most frustrating about Stargate as a show is the utter lack of closure, consequences or even any dramatically inconvenient long-term effects of all the stresses the characters go through on a weekly basis. So a series like Medical Considerations, designed specifically to address the consequences of selected episodes, is a real gift to me.

Told in the first person from Janet's point of view, the "Into The Fire" segment addresses what happened after Jack was taken as a Goa'uld host in the episode.

While the focus of the story is undoubtedly on Jack's experience, the other events of the episode are not ignored, and I have to say I really appreciate this author's attention to detail. The story begins with the return of SG-1 and those who rescued them from Hathor's base, accompanied by the bodies of those who were killed on the rescue mission. Shortly afterwards, Janet learns what happened to Jack and this is where the real angst begins.

The characterisations in this story are excellent, and that's not a word I use lightly. There isn't a single character who feels "off" to me. Everyone is seen through Janet's eyes and some of her observations (Daniel is described as "talking at a million miles an hour" for example) are delightful. The story has a distinct undercurrent of UST between Jack and Janet, especially at the end, but it's done with subtlety and does not detract from the story, even for a reader as wary of ship as myself. The Sam/Janet interaction has a freshness and originality that appeals to me. I hadn't realised how tired I was of seeing their relationship portrayed as the most perfect friendship in the universe until I read a story—this one—that doesn't do it. Here they are friends, certainly, but there is also tension and disagreement between them—and it shows.

The author's portrayal of Jack's reactions (to being Goa'ulded) immediately on their return to the SGC is in character, though I do have some minor concerns about that. Jack's voice comes across beautifully: "Okay. Okay. Everybody just...calm down. I am fine. All right? See? No glowing eyes, no Darth Vader voice, no two-for-one deal. The snake died before it could lock on. I'm me." I can see and hear that scene so clearly, and it's a rare writer who can achieve that for me. The inevitable crisis, when it comes, is an equally powerful piece of writing.

So have I found a story so good I can't criticise it? Well, not this time. As superior as the characterisations are, I do have two big issues with the plot, and a couple of smaller ones. The build up of tension toward the crisis is way overdone, in my opinion. Yes, it's perfectly in character for Janet to feel guilty about something she sees as her fault. The trouble is that the way she beats herself up over it in the early part of the story builds an expectation in the reader that isn't really fulfilled. When the crisis does come—and don't misunderstand, it's a hard-hitting, realistic scene—I was left thinking "Is that all?" With all of Janet's angst, I was expecting an attempted suicide, at the very least.

My second problem is the story's complete contradiction of canon. In this story we are told that the Goa'uld in Jack died while still within his body, and that it is still decomposing there: the same thing that happened with Sam and Jolinar. Canonically, that's simply wrong: we were told a few episodes later that the symbiot left Jack's body before it died. It might seem a minor gripe, and I realise that for some readers it won't even be an issue, but since the Goa'uld's fate appears to be behind most of what is happening to Jack, my awareness that the details are all wrong really spoiled my enjoyment of the story. There's no indication that the story is intended to be an AU.

There are some other plot points that bother me a little. Why didn't Hammond already know what happened to Jack? He was on Hathor's planet with them: you'd think someone would mention a detail that important to the General. And why, given the post-mission protocols established in "In The Line Of Duty", did Jack believe, even for a second, that he could conceal what happened? It doesn't make sense to me.

Even so, for any reader who is not the canon-junkie I am, this is a story I can confidently recommend. It is well written, gritty, realistic and nicely fills those irritating gaps in canon.